As a sales floor associate I tend to take a different approach to customer interaction than what the company pushes. However, I often wonder if I am “doing it right,” so to speak. Well, I recently found an article that proves I may be doing my sales floor job sufficiently.
My main policy, believe it or not, is not going up to customers to greet them or ask them questions. In my experience, if a customer has a need, they will willingly come to you. I have been in so many stores where I absolutely cringe when I see a sales floor associate because I know that I am going to immediately get the “Hi how are you can I help you find something are you sure ok I will be right over here” treatment, and I hate it. I do not want my customers to feel that way around me. They should be allowed to browse at their own pace and in their own way. This is actually in contrary to Walmart’s “10-foot rule,” in which we are supposed to greet and speak to customers that are within 10-feet of us.
My next policy is always being kind, yet real with customers. I never sugar-coat things for the customer or slap on a phony smile. I find that customers just want honesty, not a sales associate that pretends everything on the sales floor is fine and dandy. I can say that over the years I have had more pleasant customers than absolute nightmares (although terrible people are unavoidable), and I believe it is due to my honesty, kindness, and staying true to my personality in a genuine way.
According to the article, it just so happens that customers are extremely turned-off by sales floor associates that that are way too happy and carry around phony smiles. Customers view them as totally insincere and are more likely to buy less and leave the store with a negative impression. The article suggests that the best way to provide a pleasant experience for your customers, and one that keeps them coming back, is showing small, genuine amounts of cheer. A real smile here and there does wonders. The article also discusses a study in which people left stores with better impressions when a smiley face sticker was placed on their receipts. This goes to show that you do not have to possess a wealth of people skills to do your best on the sales floor.
An additional point made in the article is that customers prefer a well-run store over a “chatty” sales floor associate. Pairing superior store operation with just the right amounts of cheer results in higher sales rates, and happier sales associates overall. Now, if only we could put an end to retail stalkers.
testacr22
This is such a realistic post. You hit on the exact pains I’ve experienced as a retail buyer. I don’t particularly enjoy when people are in my face, and I too shy away from overly-friendly sales associates because I regard that as “fake.” So interesting that this article proved what you are already doing! Thanks for posting.
Great post! I didn’t know about the Walmart 10 foot rule, that is very interesting. I agree with what you were talking about regarding the fake smile and being overly-friendly, it is a big turn-off. I think it is really important too, like you said, to wait until customers come to you with questions, instead of seeking them out. I always like when sales floor associates are there when you need to ask them, or are able to kind of sense/tell when you might have a question…Like if a customer looks like he/she is looking for something or might be confused, I think that is easy to tell.
Love this post, I wrote on a similar aspect in the sense of being genuine. I loved your point and opposite approach to the very much trained sales associate who has a time limit of greeting a customer. That is one of my biggest pet peeves and working as a sales associate I have 15 seconds to greet a customer, ask if they are looking for anything, and give them the low down on the daily promotions… gross. This is hands down the most frustrating part of my job, not that I dislike talking to individuals and helping them, but I know the majority of the time they are just coming in to move at their own pace and if not they will seek one of us out to help them locate something in a more timely manner, but otherwise I agree just let them shop for themselves and put an end to “retail stalkers”.